Guitar Week bonus content continues as Mike Stringer of Spiritbox’s picks for his five favorite guitarists of all time, taken from the Consequence Guitar Survey. Revisit other Guitar Week gems like Kerry King’s Top Six Guitar Heroes, Kirk Hammett’s Crate Digging, and our list of the 100 Best Guitarists of All Time.
Over the last decade, Spiritbox have risen through the ranks to become one of the premiere acts in a thoroughly transformed metalcore scene. Built from the partnership of guitarist Mike Stringer and vocalist Courtney LaPlante, along with drummer Zev Rose and bassist Josh Gilbert, the Canadian band bring walls of searing, distorted guitar to their djent-inspired sound and balance it out with anthemic, memorable refrains.
It’s certainly evident on the band’s latest album, this year’s Tsunami Sea, which reaffirmed their metal hero status and found Stringer and LaPlante executing some of their heaviest work yet. So, having Stringer reflect on the guitar legends that inspired Spiritbox’s rousing sound (and his overall journey with the instrument) helps reveal where he got all that style to begin with.
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In fact, it all kicked off with Metallica’s James Hetfield for Stringer, who listed him first when filling out the Consequence Guitar Survey; like the plethora of other guitarists who worshipped Hetfield at an early age, Stringer highlights his “gnarly right hand” and songwriting ability. Meanwhile, he also gives a nod to the late Architects guitarist Tom Searle, who helped spearhead the British group’s chaotic sound until his passing from cancer in 2016.
Read on for Stringer’s top five guitarists of all time, which are not ranked (though Hetfield seems to be his true favorite). Then, see where some of his selections landed on our list of the 100 Best Guitarists of All Time. Then, take up an axe yourself and rock like Stringer’s picks by entering to win a new Fender Player II Modified Telecaster® here.
Meanwhile, Spiritbox has a large slate of shows coming up this year in support of Tsunami Sea, including North American headlining dates and a handful of concerts opening for Linkin Park in Europe. Get tickets to see them here.
Content shared from consequence.net.